And the Girls Night Out & And the Boys Night Out
by jozivabellepattersonfan
Summary: It's a quiet night for the Librarians and their Guardian. What could go wrong? Two-chapter story written in the style of "The Girls Night Out Job/The Boys Night Out Job" episodes of Leverage. First chapter is "And the Girls Night Out" featuring Cassandra and Eve and second chapter is "And the Boys Night Out" featuring Flynn, Jake, Ezekiel, and Jenkins.
1. And the Girls Night Out

Eve had a guilty pleasure: princess movies. She did prefer the more kickass type of princess movies, but she was just as much of a sucker for "Sleeping Beauty" as "Brave." The newest movie, "Moana," was out, and since there were no immediate threats to the Library or its Librarians, she was going to see it. Flynn refused to go with her, citing the fact that he had actually met Maui the demigod and wasn't interested in seeing him in musical form. That was fine with Eve – she was happy to have a night to herself.

Checking her purse one last time (yes, she had her wallet, keys, chap stick, and gun), she went to lean over her boyfriend's shoulder. "You'll be okay without me, right?"

"Yes, yes, go have your fun," Flynn said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek without looking up. He was laser-focused on the board game between him and Jake.

"What are you playing?" Eve asked, curious.

"This is the oldest board game known to man," Jake informed her, his eyes lighting up at the opportunity to give his Guardian a history lesson. "First played in China over two thousand years ago. Considered to be one of the most complex games the world has ever–"

The Back Door swung open, and Ezekiel swaggered in. He was holding a six-pack of beer in one hand and a box of video games in the other. When he saw Flynn and Jake, he stopped in his tracks. "Oh, no," he protested. "No, no, no. When you said 'game night,' _please_ tell me you did not mean 'games that were invented by the dinosaurs.'"

Jake glared at him. "Go may be ancient, but the game possesses more possibilities than the total number of atoms–"

Ezekiel interrupted him. "Don't care. Are we going to play Mass Affect or not?"

"Soon, Jones," Flynn said, still staring at the game board. "After I show Stone who's the real Go master around here."

Eve slipped out the back as Jake and Flynn started arguing and Ezekiel went to make popcorn. She didn't need the Back Door to go see a movie – she was just going down the block. She ran into Cassandra on her way out. "Oh, Eve!" the redhead exclaimed. "Are you off to see your movie?"

"Yep. You sure you don't want to come?"

Cassie shook her head, grinning. "I'm going to a children's museum."

Eve raised an eyebrow at her. "You're going to what now?"

"Every once in awhile they have these 'Night Life' events, where adults can come and drink and experience the museum without all the kids running around," Cassie explained. "They're fundraisers."

"Well, have fun." Eve smiled at the Librarian and went on her way.

She made it all the way to the movie theater, bought her ticket, and was just about to sit down in the back row when her phone rang. Making a face and muttering apologies to those sitting near her, she hit "accept call" and put the phone to her ear. "This is Colonel Baird."

"Um, so, you know how I told you about the fundraiser at the children's museum?"

Eve sighed and started heading out of the movie theater. She didn't need to hear any more to know she wasn't going to be seeing "Moana" tonight. "Yes..."

"I think one of the attendees is a demon."

"Of course they are," she replied. "Why wouldn't there be a demon at a children's museum? Send me the address. I'll pick up the boys on the way."

"No, let them have their game night," Cassie insisted. "It's just one demon. We should be able to handle it, right?"

Eve pictured the three male Librarians back in the Annex. They did deserve a night off, and if she and Cassandra needed any help, they would only be a phone call and a Back Door away. "All right. Where's the museum?"

The children's museum was packed with people. Eve was grateful for Cassandra's distinctive hair; it allowed her to find the Librarian quickly in the crowd. She politely, but firmly, shoved her way through to join her. "So where's this demon?" she asked.

In response, Cassandra gestured towards the tables of food. "I don't know for sure if 'demon' is the right word," she demurred. "But it's definitely something magical."

There were dozens of people grabbing snacks and drinks, but Eve could tell which person Cassie meant. A young man was stuffing himself with fresh fish, ignoring the plates and earning the irritated glances of the servers. He was a normal human being – brown hair, pale skin, about five feet tall – until you looked down at his bare feet.

"Does he have webbing between his toes?"

Cassandra nodded. "And those aren't toes. Those are claws."

"How is no one else seeing this?"

"He must be using some kind of glamour. Since we're around magic so much..."

"It doesn't affect us," Eve finished. "All right. Got any idea what he is?"

"Not a clue."

They looked at each other for a minute. Neither of them wanted to say it; finally, Cassie gave in. "We should probably call Flynn."

"Yeah, yeah," Eve grumbled, pulling her phone from her purse. "So much for figuring this out on our own."

"Just ask him about the webbed feet and the claws," Cassie urged. "He doesn't have to come out. He can still have his night off."

Eve nodded and hit Flynn's speed dial, holding the phone to her ear.

* * *

Flynn's phone rang, making him jump and Ezekiel and Jake shoot him furious looks. "Sorry, sorry," he whispered, taking it out and checking the caller ID. "It's Eve," he mouthed to them, pointing to the phone. "You know how she is – I'd better answer it. Hold on."

Crawling out from behind the sergeant's desk over to a pillar, Flynn hit "accept call" and held the phone to his ear. "Eve! Are you talking during your movie? You know I consider that one of the seven deadly sins."

He could hear the amused smile in her tone. It always made him feel warm inside. "No, I decided tonight wasn't a movie night after all."

"What are you up to?" There was a _bang_ from the other side of the pillar. He flinched, hoping she hadn't heard it. When she answered his question without comment, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm at a museum with Cassandra. We just had a quick question. Do you know of any magical creatures who look perfectly normal, except for having webbed feet with claws for toes?"

He looked up at the ceiling tiles, temporarily forgetting the situation behind him as he thought. "Hm. Does this creature have an affinity for any particular food?"

"Fish," Cassandra put in. "Definitely fish."

"Sounds like it could be a shapeshifter of some kind. Maybe a Kushtaka."

"Come again?"

"A Kushtaka," he repeated. Glancing behind him, he saw his two comrades urgently beckoning him forward. He began to speak at record speed. "Native to southeastern Alaska, drowned by evil land otters and turned into shapeshifting land otters themselves. Usually the Kushtaka are less evil than the land otters themselves, able to help the people in their former villages by catching seafood."

"Usually?"

"Usually," Flynn agreed. "Eve, why–"

"Thanks, Flynn. Have fun at game night!" There was a _click_. Flynn looked down at his phone, puzzled, then shrugged and crawled back over to Stone and Jones.

* * *

"So, possibly evil shapeshifting otter," Eve summarized. They had moved to a wall where they could easily watch the Kushtaka devour platters of fish. He was on his third.

"And possibly not evil," Cassie reminded her. "Flynn said they're usually less evil than the land otters."

"'Less evil' is not comforting," Eve replied. "But at the moment, he's not hurting anyone but the fish."

"And the servers' feelings," Cassie added. "They do not look happy."

Eve agreed with her. Three servers were standing a few feet away from the Kushtaka, clearly talking about him. One of them broke off, she guessed to find a manager. "We should probably get him out of here before he causes any more problems," she mused.

The Kushtaka finished his third platter of fish and threw it across the room, hitting one of the servers in the chest. It shouldn't have had much force, but the server was bowled off her feet and into a nearby pillar. As Eve and Cassie watched, horrified, the pillar started to crack.

"Too late," Cassie commented drily.

"Let's go!" Eve pulled her gun, keeping it concealed in her jacket. "You distract it, I'll take it out." Before she could get more than a few steps, however, Cassie drew her back.

"Look at its face," she said quickly. "I don't think it meant to do that. Knock it out if you can, okay? It looks... scared."

Eve saw what Cassie meant. The Kushtaka was backing away from the pillar, eyes wide, face even paler than before. "I'll do my best. Now go."

The museum staff were herding everyone towards the exits, trying to keep their screaming down, while several security guards made their way through the crowd towards the Kushtaka. Eve had to stop them before they got to him. Trusting that Cassie would distract him, Eve ran towards one of the guards. "NATO Counter-Terrorism," she told him, holding out her badge. "Get everyone out of here. This is a matter of national security."

He looked startled, but he obeyed. He waved the other guards to follow him, and they began to help the museum staff. Eve breathed a sigh of relief and returned her attention to the Kushtaka.

"Hey, buddy." Cassie was taking careful steps towards him. "Are you still hungry?"

The young man hesitated, then nodded. He pointed to the empty platter on the floor. "Fish," he said sadly.

"I know, buddy. They're all out of fish."

"Hungry," he said, sliding down to sit on the floor. Cassie knelt down in front of him. Eve kept out of his sightline, trying to get close without being spotted.

"Why don't we go somewhere that has some fish?" Cassie suggested.

"Fish?" he asked hopefully.

"That's right. There's a river just a few–"

Eve jumped in front of Cassie just as he roared and threw the platter at her. It hit Eve in the stomach, driving her and Cassandra back towards the already-cracked pillar. The Kushtaka roared again and ran out the back entrance of the museum.

"Eve?" Cassie asked.

"I'm fine," she gasped, feeling her chest for injury. "I'll just have a bruise. We've got to go." She tried to get to her feet and winced.

"Eve–"

"We'll lose him soon," she insisted.

Cassie didn't look like she approved of this plan, but she stood and pulled Eve up. "He went west," she informed her Guardian. "Let's go."

They couldn't move fast, but they didn't need to: the Kushtaka left a trail of knocked-over trash cans and terrified citizens in his wake. As they jogged after him, Cassie began to speculate. "I was getting through to him until I mentioned going to the river," she said. "Maybe Kushtaka are sea otter shapeshifter-y things, and have some weird aversion to rivers?"

"We could use that," Eve replied. "Try to either get it to a river and disable it somehow, or get it to the ocean. That might be what it's looking for."

"It could be lost," Cassie agreed. Stopping for a moment, she held up her hands and spread them apart. Eve couldn't see anything, but she knew Cassie saw plenty. She halted next to the Librarian to listen. "The ocean is exactly 85.76 miles from here, and at his current rate, the Kushtaka would get there in one hour and two minutes. He would, however, have to cross eleven or twelve rivers, depending on his route... or is it root? Root beer, root beer... floats... Mm, ice cream." She lowered her hands and smiled at Eve. "If he's going to the ocean–"

"We can either stop him or help him at the next river," Eve finished. "And if we're going to beat him there–"

"We need a Door."

* * *

The Annex phone rang, startling everyone. Jenkins calmly walked over and picked it up. "Yes?"

"Jenkins, quick question. What's the nearest river from here, headed west?"

Jenkins rolled the phone over to the Back Door, ignoring the frustrated looks and mutterings of the three male Librarians. "That would be the Tualatin."

"Can you engineer a Door from where we are to somewhere near that river?"

"I can certainly try." He adjusted the Back Door contraption, pressing a few buttons and switching a couple of levers. Closing the contraption, he said into the phone, "There should be a Door to your left."

"Thanks, Jenkins!"

The caretaker hung up the phone and turned back to Ezekiel, Jake, and Flynn, who were coated head-to-toe with dust. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

Eve and Cassandra emerged through the Door into a park pavilion. They hurried outside, where they found themselves between a forest and the Tualatin River. "What do you think the odds are that he'll come through right here?" Eve asked.

As if in answer, the Kushtaka burst through the trees. Eve pulled her weapon, but he didn't appear to be in a fighting mood; at the sight of the river, he stumbled to a stop.

"Hey, buddy," Cassie said quickly, stepping around Eve and holding out her hands to him. "I know. You don't like rivers, huh?"

He shook his head. "Bad," he whispered.

"Are you trying to get to the ocean?" He nodded. "Can we help you?" Another nod, with an anxious look at Eve, who holstered her gun and showed him her empty hands.

"We don't want to hurt you," Eve said. "We just don't want you to hurt anyone else, either."

The Kushtaka sat on a tree stump, shaking. Slowly he whispered, "Don't want to hurt. Just... hungry."

"We understand," Cassie told him. "We'll help you get to the ocean, and then you can find all the fish you want." She gestured behind them to the pavilion. "My friend, he can make it so that building there goes straight to the ocean. Does that sound good?"

He brightened. "Ocean?"

"That's right, buddy."

Eve pulled out her phone again and dialed Jenkins while Cassie continued to talk to the Kushtaka in calm, soothing tones. When the Door was set, Eve tapped her on the shoulder.

"Okay, buddy, time to go," the redhead said, holding out a hand. The Kushtaka took it and followed her meekly into the pavilion. Eve came after them, thinking that maybe she could get to a late showing of "Moana" after all.

When they emerged on the other side of the door, she changed her mind.

At least two dozen land otters stood between them and the ocean. These were not the mostly-human type like their "buddy" Kushtaka, but a wilder-looking version. They were naked, though it didn't mean much when their lower halves were entirely otter. They were all holding sharp wooden spears – "Don't let those spears touch you," Eve whispered to Cassie. "The tips are probably poisoned." The Librarian nodded, staying close to her Guardian's side.

Their "buddy" Kushtaka didn't look happy to see the new arrivals. He cowered behind Cassie, muttering and growling under his breath. With a look at Eve, who nodded, Cassie knelt down and took his hands. "It's okay," she murmured. "We won't let them hurt you."

"Do you speak English?" Eve asked the rest of the land otters.

One of them stepped forward, brandishing his spear at the Guardian. "Release our prisoner, and we will consider not drowning you," he said, baring all his teeth at her in a hunter's grin.

"What has he done to you?" Eve shifted until she was in front of both Cassie and the Kushtaka.

"The Kooshda need not explain themselves to you," the leader said. He leaned forward until he was breathing into Eve's face. "We need not spare you, either, but we will – possibly."

Eve didn't bother replying. She slammed her fist into his face, sending him sprawling amid his fellows. "Run!" She turned to the Door, but the light around it was gone – whatever Jenkins had done to set it there had worn off. She grabbed Cassie and the Kushtaka by the collars and ran east towards a cabin, away from the ocean and the land otters. Kooshda, was that what they had called themselves?

She needed to call Flynn again. "Cassie, get him to that cabin and call Jenkins," she ordered. "If I'm not there in three minutes, have him get you a Door the hell out of here. Got it?"

"Got it," Cassandra replied. She took the Kushtaka's hand and pulled him towards the cabin. Eve turned to face the Kooshda, holding her phone in one hand and her gun in the other. Seeing the weapon, the land otters slowed. She seized the opportunity and hit Flynn's speed dial.

* * *

"What's the difference between a Kooshda and a Kushtaka?"

"Kooshda, they're the original land otters," Flynn panted as he ran through the dark streets of downtown Portland. "Kushtaka are the people they drowned and turned into land otters. Kushtaka can shapeshift, Kooshda can't. Any other questions?"

"Yeah, any idea why Kooshda would want to hurt a Kushtaka?"

"If a Kushtaka refused to help them in their drownings, the Kooshda might take offense and want to punish them." Flynn stopped behind a tree and asked, "Why are you so interested in–"

"Any way you know of disarming or killing Kooshda?"

"Well, they don't like rivers–"

"Yeah, I got that," Eve interrupted. "Is river water toxic for them or something?"

"Yeah, fresh water makes them sick."

"Got it. Thanks Flynn!" There was a _click._ Flynn hurriedly returned his phone to his pocket and sprinted after Ezekiel and Jake.

"Thanks for waiting for me!" he called. "I love you too!"

* * *

Eve tucked her phone back into her pocket and grinned at the Kooshda coming towards her. She noticed a few trying to sneak around her and shot in their direction. They froze.

"That's better." Eve held up her gun. There was a rustle behind her, but she recognized the gait. "I don't want to hurt you, and you seem to only kind of want to hurt me. So why don't we both walk away?"

The leader struggled to his feet – paws? – and snarled, "I don't think so. You will drown tonight, human."

"I doubt that." Eve smiled. "I have a Librarian."

The leader cocked his head. "A what?"

A stream of water rushed past Eve to strike the lead Kooshda. He whimpered and ran, diving into the ocean. The water, from a hose held by a jubilant Cassie, swept back and forth over the beach, causing all of the other Kooshda to follow suit.

When all of the land otters were gone, Eve turned to Cassandra. "How did you know?"

"Educated guess," she replied. She set down the hose and looked around. "Come on out, buddy, we won't use it on you."

The Kushtaka's head popped up from a window in the cabin. When he saw that the Kooshda had vanished, he laughed and ran out to join them. "They are gone!" he said.

"Yeah, buddy, they're gone." Cassie patted him on the shoulder. "They won't hurt you anymore."

"Do you think it's safe for you to go into the ocean here?" Eve asked. "They might still be nearby."

The Kushtaka nodded. "I am... faster... in ocean." He sprinted towards the ocean, for all the world like a child excited to play. When he reached the water, he stopped and turned around. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome, buddy," Cassie replied. "Go find some fish."

He smiled and nodded. Then he leaped into the air. A light made Cassandra and Eve cover their eyes; when they looked out again, there was an otter swimming into the night.

"A good night's work," Cassie said with a happy sigh.

"A weird night's work," Eve retorted. She checked her watch. "Maybe I'll go see 'Moana' tomorrow."

"I'll go with you." They turned and started back up the beach. "I don't think the museum will be open."

Back in the Annex, they found the boys sitting around the table, drinking beers and laughing. "I can't believe she fell for it," Flynn was saying. "Can you believe she fell for that old trick?"

"It's because I played it so well," Ezekiel replied.

"You – _you_ played it so well?" Jake's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "I played it well, you mean. If I hadn't set it up for you–"

"Yeah, yeah, it's always you, isn't it?" Ezekiel complained.

Eve and Cassandra rolled their eyes at each other. "Boys and their video games," they said in unison.


	2. And the Boys Night Out

When Stone brought out the Go board, Flynn knew it was going to be a long night.

A good night, definitely. A fun one, and ultimately a triumphant one, because Flynn had never lost at Go. But a long night, because that game took forever.

"Jones is going to kill us," he commented as they started to set up. Jake grinned.

"Why do you think I brought it out?"

Once the board was set up – it was very simple, really – they started to play. Jake took the black stones, and Flynn had the white. Flynn was considering the placement of a stone when Eve walked in. She was checking her purse. Absently, Flynn tried to remember if he had ever seen her with a purse.

She leaned over his shoulder. "You'll be okay without me, right?"

"Yes, yes, go have your fun," Flynn replied. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek without looking up.

"What are you playing?" Eve asked.

Flynn didn't even try to reply; he knew his opponent would beat him to it. "This is the oldest board game known to man," Stone informed her. Flynn didn't have to look up to know that Jake's eyes were shining with enthusiasm. "First played in China over two thousand years ago. Considered to be one of the most complex games the world has ever–"

The Back Door swung open, and the supposed world-class thief swaggered in. Flynn glanced up long enough to see that he was holding a six-pack of beer in one hand and a box of video games in the other. Flynn heard Jake snigger softly as Ezekiel stopped in his tracks and immediately began to protest. "Oh, no. No, no, no. When you said 'game night,' _please_ tell me you did not mean 'games that were invented by the dinosaurs.'"

Flynn noticed Jake's demeanor change; he had expected Ezekiel to object to the game, but to _insult_ the game was obviously too much for him. "Go may be ancient, but the game possesses more possibilities than the total number of atoms–"

Ezekiel interrupted him. "Don't care. Are we going to play Mass Affect or not?"

"Soon, Jones," Flynn said, still staring at the game board. "After I show Stone who's the real Go master around here."

Jake turned his wrath on Flynn. "I'll have you know that I beat Jenkins at Go last week!"

Flynn let out a bark of laughter. "Jenkins! Ha! He couldn't beat Jones at Go!"

"Hey!" Ezekiel protested. "I'm sure I could be great this Go thing, but it's just so uninteresting."

"Jones..."

"Lighten up, Stone," Flynn said. "It's just a game. Which I'm clearly going to win."

"Anyone want popcorn?" Ezekiel asked. "I'm hungry." Without waiting for an answer, he headed towards the kitchen. Flynn looked around to make a snide comment to Eve, only to notice that she had left the room already. Oh, well. He'd tell her some other time. He was glad she was going out to see a movie, even if that movie involved a certain annoying demigod. His beautiful girlfriend deserved a night to herself.

"Are you ever gonna make your move?"

Flynn carefully placed a white stone on the board. "There. Your turn."

Both of them made two turns, with Jones watching and eating popcorn, before they heard a familiar flipping noise. Flynn and Jake both groaned. Ezekiel pumped his fist in the air. "Finally! Something interesting!"

All three of them got up to see what the Clippings Book had to say. "Deranged killer attacks Portland police station," Jake read.

Jones pointed to the address. "Hey! That's right down the street from us!"

"And the article states that the attack starts in five minutes. Come on, come on, let's go!" Flynn herded them past him, reaching for his phone to call Eve and Cassandra. Jake paused next to him, putting a hand on his arm.

"Let's see what we got, first," he said quietly. "We may not need them."

Flynn hesitated, then nodded. "All right. I mean, 'deranged killer' does sound like a pretty good reason to need a Guardian–"

"But it'll be three against one, plus all of the police officers," Jake finished.

"The Door will take us straight into the station," Ezekiel called, returning his phone to his pocket. He must have used his app to set the Door, instead of calling for Jenkins. "Ready?"

Flynn and Jake nodded. Jones pulled the Door open and motioned them through.

They stumbled into a large room. Everything appeared to be normal – uniformed officers and plainclothes detectives were sitting at desks, filling out paperwork and talking quietly with one another. Flynn, Jake, and Ezekiel looked at each other. Could the Clippings Book have been wrong?

Suddenly, a door burst open on the other side of the room. A tall, muscular woman appeared; she was wearing a blue pantsuit and heels, with what appeared to be a... lion skin?

"You can't get me now!" she shouted. Grabbing a gun from a stunned officer, she began to fire into the room at random. The three Librarians dove behind a sergeant's desk as the policemen and women pulled their weapons and fired back.

"What the hell?" Ezekiel gasped.

"The bullets – they're bouncing off," Jake said hurriedly. "Flynn, you know what that has to be, right?"

Flynn was about to reply when his phone rang, making him jump and his two comrades shoot him furious looks. "Sorry, sorry," Flynn whispered. Checking the caller ID, he mouthed to them, "It's Eve. You know how she is – I'd better answer it. Hold on."

Crawling out from behind the sergeant's desk over to a pillar, Flynn hit "accept call" and held the phone to his ear. "Eve! Are you talking during the movie? You know I consider that one of the seven deadly sins."

He could hear the amused smile in her tone. It always made him feel warm inside, even when he was possibly about to die (by the deranged killer's hands or his fellow Librarians', he wasn't sure which was more likely). "No, I decided tonight wasn't a movie night after all."

"What are you up to?" There was a _bang_ from the other side of the pillar. He flinched, hoping she hadn't heard it. When she answered his question without comment, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm at a museum with Cassandra. We just have a quick question."

Eve's "quick question" was enough to distract him from the bullets flying all over the room. Once he suggested that she might be talking about a Kushtaka, he glanced behind him and saw Ezekiel and Jake beckoning to him urgently.

"Come _on_ , man, we have to _do something!_ " Jake hissed.

He finished telling Eve about the Kushtaka at lightning speed and was both confused and relieved when she hung up on him. He crawled back over to his comrades and whispered, "So that's definitely the Nemean Lion's skin that she's wearing."

"Obviously!" Jake looked almost as angry as he had when Ezekiel insulted Go. "The question is, what're we going to do about it?"

"Well, nothing can hurt her while she's wearing the skin."

"How about I steal it?" Jones suggested. "I can nick it without her noticing until it's too late."

Flynn motioned towards the room, where police officers and detectives were exchanging gunfire with the woman. Idly he wondered why the woman hadn't ran out of bullets yet; putting that thought aside for the moment, he asked Jones, "You think you can get through that without dying? Remember, _she's_ the impenetrable one, not you!"

Ezekiel gave Flynn his signature half-smile, the one that always made Flynn want to punch him on the nose. "You've forgotten who you're talking to, mate. I'm Ezekiel Jones." With a wink, the thief began to make his way towards the woman, maneuvering through officers and detectives with ease. Flynn and Jake watched from behind the desk.

Jake said what they were both thinking. "He's gonna get himself killed."

"Probably."

"Should we help him?"

"What do you propose, exactly?"

Jake shrugged.

Ezekiel got all the way to the front of the room without being spotted. Flynn had to admit – grudgingly – that he was, in fact, good. The youngest Librarian snuck around a desk so that he was behind the woman. He was reaching out to grab the lion's skin when there was a _boom_ and a flash of light. Flynn and Jake, along with all of the policemen and women, yelped and shielded their eyes.

"Jones!" Jake beat Flynn to the punch, fumbling forward before he could properly see. "Jones! Are you okay?"

The front of the room was now a pile of rubble, with the woman and Ezekiel nowhere to be seen. Jake started to dig through the ceiling tiles and remnants of desks, desperately calling out for his friend. Flynn was about to join in when he saw movement on the other side of the pile. Ezekiel popped up, covered in dust but none the worse for wear. "Come on!" he called to his fellow Librarians, beckoning for them to join him on the other side. "This way!"

Flynn turned to survey the bemused policemen and women. "Not to fear, brave souls," he said, holding out his hands and giving them a knowing smile. "We're the Librarians."

One of the detectives brightened. "Librarians? From the historical society? I called you to consult on my case!"

Jake nodded. "That's right, sir. Looks like now isn't the best time, eh?"

The detective shook his head. "Yeah. I don't even know where my case file is in all this mess."

"We will return at a later date," Flynn said with a grandiose bow. "By the way, who on earth was that woman?"

The detective made a face. "I arrested her for drugs last year. Crazy lady. She wasn't nearly as... sturdy last year, though."

By "sturdy," Flynn assumed the detective meant "bulletproof." Flynn nodded to him. "I'm sure you'll catch her, Detective. Now, my colleagues and I must be off. Happy hunting!"

The three Librarians left through the front entrance at a run. Ezekiel said the woman had gone left; they didn't get far, however, before a panicked crowd of people impeded their progress. "What the–" Jake looked at the building the crowd was coming from. "Why're all these people running out of the children's museum?"

"We have bigger problems, mate," Ezekiel reminded him. "We've completely lost her now, though. Let's get back to the Annex."

"Good idea." Flynn called Jenkins, and before long, they were through a nearby public restroom and into the Annex again. The caretaker raised his eyebrows at them as they stumbled through the Back Door.

"Did you take your game of Go on the go?"

"No time for jokes, Jenkins, there's a deranged killer on the loose." Flynn dropped his satchel on a chair and started trying to brush the dust from his clothes, without success. Ezekiel went back to his popcorn.

"So I read, sir," Jenkins said, gesturing to the Clippings Book. "From the sound of it, the woman is merely a drug addict angry with the police department. Why did the Clippings Book send you there?"

"Well, it might have somethin' to do with the fact that she was wearin' the Nemean Lion's skin," Jake drawled from where he leaned against the center table.

"The Nemean Lion's skin? Really? I wouldn't have expected that to pop up this side of the Pacific."

"What can you tell us about it?" Jake asked.

"There is, of course, the obvious: that the wearer of the skin cannot be harmed." Jenkins drummed his fingers on the table as he thought. "The skin also gives its wearers certain benefits. For example, if the wearer had a bow, they would never run out of arrows."

Ezekiel snapped his fingers. "So _that's_ why she never ran out of bullets!"

"That would be a logical conclusion, Mr. Jones," Jenkins replied.

Flynn gave up on his clothes and started on his hair. "When Jones tried to steal it, there was some kind of an explosion."

"Ah. Yes. The skin does not take well to being, well, taken."

Ezekiel glared at Flynn. "You coulda told me that _beforehand_ , Flynn!"

"I didn't know!" Flynn protested.

"Oh, so the great Flynn Carsen admits that he doesn't know everything," Ezekiel shot back. "I was led to believe that you were infallible."

"By who?"

"By you!"

"Despite how it might look, I actually do _not_ know everything about every artifact that has ever existed," Flynn snapped. "I have not read every book in the Library! I do not–"

The Annex phone rang, startling everyone. Jenkins calmly walked over and picked it up. "Yes?"

"This is not the time for personal calls, Jenkins," Flynn muttered. The caretaker ignored him, listening for a moment and then rolling the phone over to the Back Door.

"That would be the Tualatin."

"Why is he talking about rivers?" Jake murmured to Ezekiel.

"Did he miss the part about there being a deranged killer on the loose?" the thief murmured back.

Jenkins finished making adjustments to the Back Door contraption, hung up the phone, and turned back to the three Librarians. "Now, where were we?"

"Deranged drug-addicted killer wearing the Nemean Lion's skin, which doesn't take to being taken," Ezekiel replied with a pointed look at Flynn, who sneered at him.

"Right." Jenkins went over to pull a large tome from a bookshelf. He set it on the center table, flipping to the middle of the book. "Here we are. The Nemean Lion's skin. According to this account, the skin cannot be stolen – it must be given up willingly."

"She has to give it up willingly?" Jake asked. "How're we supposed to get her to do that?"

Jenkins closed the book, showering them in yet another round of dust. "The account merely states the fact; unfortunately, it does not elaborate."

Flynn clapped his hands. "Well! This will be easy-schmeasy. All we have to do is convince her that she wants to give us the skin. Jenkins, where is the–"

"Ah, one caveat the account _did_ mention, Mr. Carsen." Jenkins held up a finger. "The skin must be given up willingly _without_ the aid of magic."

The oldest Librarian looked put-out for a moment, then shrugged and gave them a wide smile. "No problem. Jones, can you use traffic cameras to figure out where our crazy lady is?"

"On it." Ezekiel went over to the computer and started typing.

"Stone, will you go get that shield from the armory?"

"I like where this is headin'," Stone said, slapping Flynn on the back and heading into the Library.

"What is your plan, sir?" Jenkins asked.

"Once we know where she is, we pay her a visit and I'll charm my way into getting that skin. I'm the Librarian! It'll be a piece of cake."

"And the shield?"

"Just in case it doesn't work."

"Of course." The phone rang again. Jenkins went to answer it as Ezekiel exclaimed,

"Got her! She went into a pub on Drover about five minutes ago."

"That's an intriguing place for a deranged killer to go," Flynn replied, coming to look over Ezekiel's shoulder. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Ezekiel smirked up at Flynn. "Criminals have patterns. They go where they feel comfortable. So I looked up our crazy lady's Facebook. She's been to this pub twenty times in the past month. I searched for traffic cameras near that area, and boom! There she is."

"That was actually smart, Jones," Flynn said, patting him on the shoulder. "Good work."

"Always the tone of surprise," the thief replied. "I'll set up the Back Door."

"Got it," Jake called, coming into the room with a large white shield. "You guys ready?"

"Ready," Ezekiel said from the Back Door. "Flynn?"

"Let's go," he said, grabbing his satchel from the chair. "Easy-schmeasy."

 _Ten minutes later…_

"This is so not easy-schmeasy!" Flynn gasped.

"You think?" Jake quipped from beside him. "I thought this mission was goin' great!"

"Don't talk, just run!" Ezekiel pointed towards an alley. "This way!"

They ducked into the alley just as more shots rang out in the street. "Damn it, will she _ever_ run out of bullets?" Jake asked as they sprinted towards the next street. Just as Flynn was about to shout something to Jones, his phone rang. Wincing, he pulled it from his pocket and saw Eve's name on the screen.

"I have to take this," he told the other two, putting the phone to his ear as he ran.

"What's the difference between a Kooshda and a Kushtaka?" Eve asked before he could speak.

He explained the differences as fast as he could. She seemed as much in a hurry as he was, and he barely had time to wonder why she was so interested in Kushtaka before she'd hung up the phone. Relieved, Flynn returned his phone to his pocket and sprinted after Ezekiel and Jake. "Thanks for waiting for me!" he called. "I love you too!"

"Hello, deranged killer takes precedence over personal calls," the thief replied as he caught up. "Anyway, Stone was thinking–"

"I was thinking," Flynn interrupted, "We can't steal the skin, right? But maybe you can steal the gun, Jones," Flynn suggested.

"That's what I was thinking," Jake protested. Ezekiel flashed him a grin, then asked,

"Maybe, but how am I supposed to get close?"

"I thought you were a world-class thief." Jake elbowed him. "We'll distract her, you get the gun!"

"Okay, okay!" Ezekiel looked up and down the street. "Get her near that stop sign if you can," he said, pointing to the next street sign in view. "I'll be waiting!"

"Okay, go, go." Flynn and Jake hid behind the shield, waiting for their crazy lady to appear. It didn't take long.

"You're trying to get my coat, aren't you?" The woman emerged from the alley and looked around, trying to find the Librarians. When she spotted the shield, she grinned and pointed the gun at them. "You can't have my coat! It's mine! It's my beautiful, beautiful coat, and you can't have it!"

"We don't want it, really," Jake replied from behind the shield. He and Flynn started to back up as the woman approached. "We just wanted to compliment you on your excellent taste."

The woman smiled. "Really?"

"Really!" Flynn said, poking his head out from the shield's protection. "We were just talking about – ow!" He pulled his head back just in time as a bullet nearly grazed his ear. "What was that for?"

"I know you're lying!" The woman was almost parallel with the stop sign now. "I know you want my coat! Everyone does! But they can't have it!"

"I have an idea," Jake whispered. "Stay here." Before Flynn could answer him, the younger Librarian had stepped out from behind the shield's protection. "Ma'am, may I ask you a question?"

The woman cocked her head. "Before I kill you, you mean?"

"Yes, before that."

"Go ahead."

"Did you know that you have the most beautiful green eyes?"

She put a hand up to her cheek. "Do you think so?"

"Oh, yes. And your hair, the way it flows down your shoulders – it's exquisite."

"You're still trying to get my coat," she accused him.

"Oh, no!" He held out his arms. "If I was trying to get your coat, why would I have come out from behind the shield? Really, ma'am, I just think you're the loveliest woman in the world. I have seen art from every civilization in the history of the world, but you outshine every canvas that has ever been painted, every artifact that has ever been sculpted."

Flynn watched Jake from behind the shield. Looking past him, he saw Ezekiel creeping up behind the woman. She was zeroed in on Jake, twirling her hair on a finger like a schoolgirl complimented by her first crush. Charming her was the answer, Flynn realized. He just hadn't done it as well as Jake was.

But he could still help. Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out a necklace. It wasn't magical, just a trinket he'd picked up in Bangladesh recently. He'd meant to give it to Eve, but he could always find another necklace for her.

"Stone!" he hissed. When Jake looked at him, he slid the necklace box over to him. Jake picked it up, looked inside, and exclaimed,

"Oh, my friend has found the perfect jewelry for you, ma'am – what is your name?"

"Leona," she said, fluttering her lashes at him.

"Leona, this necklace would accent your beauty like nothing else in the world. May I put it on for you?"

She nodded, turning towards him and lifting her hair from her neck. She was so distracted that she didn't even notice when Ezekiel slid the gun from her hand. "Oh, it is pretty," she gasped, holding it out so she could see it.

"It's even prettier than your coat, if I do say so myself."

"You're right," she said, pulling the coat off and handing it to him absently. "It's so pretty."

"And it looks nicer on you than it would on anyone else," Jake replied, taking the coat and tossing it to Flynn behind the shield. "I must go, but I hope we will meet again, Leona."

"I hope so too," she whispered, still looking at the necklace. They left her there in the middle of the dark street, still staring at the necklace.

When they stumbled through the Back Door, Jenkins greeted them with a smile. "Your mission was a success?"

"Indeed it was, Jenkins, thanks to my master plan," Flynn replied.

"Your master plan. _Your_ master plan?" Jake sputtered. Ezekiel ignored them and headed towards the kitchen. When he emerged, Flynn and Jake were still arguing, and Jenkins had vacated the scene.

"Really though, I can't believe she fell for it," Flynn said, taking the beer Ezekiel offered. The three of them settled around the table. "Can you believe she fell for that old trick?"

"It's because I played it so well," Ezekiel replied.

"You – _you_ played it so well?" Jake's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "I played it well, you mean. If I hadn't set it up for you–"

"Yeah, yeah, it's always you, isn't it?" Ezekiel complained.

None of them noticed that Eve and Cassandra had entered through the Back Door. The two women rolled their eyes at each other. "Boys and their video games," they said in unison.


End file.
